Did Brooks Forester Break Up With ‘Bachelorette’ Desiree Hartsock Because Of His Ex-Girlfriend?

“The Bachelorette” may be over, but the drama is not. The latest scoop on the dating reality-television series comes from contestant Brooks Forester’s ex-girlfriend, Erin Reese. As fans of the series know, Desiree Hartsock found her happy ending with Chris Siegfried -- but not before she shed some major tears over Brooks. So, how does Reese factor in?

Reese, a 28-year-old model, dished to the National Enquirer that she crushed Brooks’ heart, and since then he can’t move on! “I broke Brooks’ heart, and he’s never forgiven me,” his ex-girlfriend said. “I dated him for nearly two years, and about 18 months ago we called it quits.” (Click here to see a supposed photograph of Reese.)

A source close to Brooks told the site that “The Bachelorette” contestant was so serious about Reese that they were talking about getting married. However, that all fell apart when he discovered that his model girlfriend was cheating on him. “Brooks broke up with her and never looked back,” the source said.

The scoop on his past relationship and the cheating explains why things didn’t seem to work out with Desiree. The source continued that the 28-year-old marketing rep just “couldn’t take” watching Desiree flirt with the other guys on the show.

Although Brooks obviously knew what he was getting into on the ABC show, the source explained that “when Brooks watched all the other guys falling over Desiree, and saw her kissing two or three of them a day, it tore open the wound in his heart from Erin.”

The contestant reportedly “couldn’t handle any more betrayal,” which is why he finally ended things in Antigua in part one of “The Bachelorette” season finale. But despite the tear-soaked breakup in the finale, both Brooks and Desiree seem to be happy and moving on.

Desiree recently moved in with Chris in Seattle. She is planning to launch a blog about her future walk down the aisle, and Chris revealed that he’s publishing his poetry.